Beginning to Notice
by QuickSilverFox3
Summary: It's Harry eighth birthday and he's very excited. But he's starting to notice things aren't quite right in his world. [Grindlewald Wins AU for the International Wizarding School Championship]


School: Durmstrang Year Two  
Theme: Grindelwald Wins AU  
Prompt: A Teacup [object] (main)  
Word Count: 2815

/\\\/\\\

"Mum!"  
Harry balanced precariously on the chair, the wood creaking under his bare feet as he took another look out of the window.  
"Mum!" he called again, accidentally bumping into a vase as the chair fought to return to the dining room table.  
"Get off the chair Harry!" Lily called back, moving into the room and leaning against the hallway, the scarf she was currently knitting streaming out behind her like a train, "What are you doing sweetheart?"  
"The man is back at the bottom of the garden again."  
Harry pointed, a bit shakily, before he gave in and sat down, the chair creaking its way back across the room and through the open door to the dining room table, his plate still untouched in its place. He heard his mum let out a long sigh as he passed her, placing her knitting down in the mid-air with a quiet clink. The window let out a groan of protest as she opened it, a cold breeze making its way into the dining room as Harry scrambled onto his knees, ears pricked for any whisper of sound. He needn't have worried however as Lily's voice floated through, loud and clear.  
"Do you want a cup of tea or a biscuit Peakes? I see they've put you on guard duty again!"  
The man, Peakes his Mum called him, always seemed to be at the bottom of their garden recently. He seemed to be quite a tall man to Harry, with a mop of brown hair that always seemed to be trying to escape from his hat and a small moustache. He couldn't hear the response that Peakes gave, but his attention was quickly grabbed by the ringing sound of his knife tapping against the glass. Sighing, he picked up his knife and fork and began to eat his lunch, mind turning from the strange man back at the bottom of their garden to the exciting day ahead of him, already planning out the drawing he was going to do after lunch. It was his eighth birthday after all.

"Hey Pads!"  
Harry looked up from his drawing, bumping his head on some of the floating crayons orbiting him like the planets Uncle Remus had shown him the last time they had visited.  
"Owwww. Rosemary!"  
Rosemary giggled, clapping her hands together and letting out a loud shriek, the crayons idle swirling picking up speed. Lily swept into the room and scooped up Rosemary in the same movement, taking control of the drawing implements and sending them swirling across the room and into the drawer with one smooth flick of her wand.  
"Go say hello to your Uncles then Harry," she nudged, pressing kisses' to Rosemary's chubby cheeks as she squealed and laughed. He didn't need to be told twice. Harry almost flew out of the sitting room and down the hall, his socked feet loudly slamming against the wood floors.  
"Uncle Padfoot! Uncle Moony!"

The men turned as one as Harry came barrelling down the hallway to crash into his Uncle Padfoot, the man bending down to scoop him up, throwing Harry into the air as he did so. It felt like it had been forever since his Uncle's had visited, but his Mum had said they were both busy with work and that his Uncle Padfoot had been very silly recently and he hadn't been allowed to visit them for a bit. Harry wasn't supposed to know that last part.

/\\\/\\\

It was very late at night, the moon half hidden behind thick clouds, when Harry had slipped out of bed and tiptoed down the stairs. He didn't know what had first driven him from his warm bed, it hadn't been thirst or a nightmare, just a drive to move around the house, a tiny ghost in checked pyjamas. Hushed voices drew him towards the kitchen, the light peeking out from the cracked door.  
"He's an idiot."  
Mum's voice was tight as it had been when Harry had fallen from the swing and skinned his knee. She had sounded the same when she had turned on his dad, eyes flashing as she demanded to know where he had been. It sounded as if something similar was now unfurling in the kitchen. So, Harry looked, peaking through the crack in the door.

His mum was sitting at the kitchen table, one hand wrapped around a teacup as she chewed on the nails of the other, gaze fixed on the far end of the room but unfocused. His dad was pacing backwards and forwards, running one hand through his hair compulsively, strands sticking bolt upright.  
"I'm not arguing with that Lily," Dad replied, pausing to pick up his own tea cup from the table. They were the new set they had been given by his Uncle Padfoot upon his last visit, Harry noticed, vine patterned in endless twisting loops that seemed to have no end and no beginning. His Dad turned the cup around and around in his hand, pausing to trace his own finger across some of the vines.  
"They've let him go. He's back in the house now in Regulus' custody," Dad said, collapsing onto the nearest chair, grabbing hold of Mum's hand hard enough that his knuckles went white.  
"Have they charged him?" Mum asked, summoning a scroll of parchment and a quill to her. Harry knew that his Mum worked at the Ministry of Magic and often complained about her boss.  
Dad inspected the cup closely once more, tracing the pattern as he mouthed something, brow furrowed in concentration.  
"I understand the need for subtly but his handwriting is difficult to read at the best of times," Dad grumbled, raising the cup up and shoving his glasses up to rest on his hair.  
"No, Regulus worked his magic again so just a fine, pretty hefty one but still, and Remus is okay as well."  
Harry leant forwards at the mention of his Uncle Moony, worry freezing his blood in his veins. Were his Uncles' about to go away like Hannah's uncle had? He leant forward and bumped into the door. The creak was deafening in the sudden silence of the kitchen and Harry turned to dash upstairs, but before he could move, the door was thrown open behind him, handle slamming into the wall.

"Harry."  
Harry turned to stare up into his Dad's serious face, his wand in his hand. His Dad relaxed, shoulders visibly dropping, and he stretched out his arms to pick Harry up. Harry blinked, realising the fog over his eyes were tears, distorting everything in the kitchen.  
"Are you okay sweetheart?" Mum asked, reaching out to smooth his hair back from his forehead, Dad rubbing comforting circles on his back, "Did you have a bad dream?"  
"Is Uncle Padfoot going to go away?" Harry asked, his voice small and wobbling as he sniffed.  
Both of his parents froze.  
"No sweethearts, he's not going anywhere."  
His Dad sat down, hugging Harry close to his chest as Mum continued.  
"He got caught in an area he wasn't meant to be in with Muggle contraband so he's going to have to pay a fine, that's money for the Ministry to use, and he'll probably have an Auror guard to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid for a little while. So, he's going to have to stay home and behave. He should still be able to come to your birthday party, I'll help Remus with the forms as usual."

"Why are there forms?"

His parents exchanged a look over his head, a long silent conversation following between them before his Dad sighed, resting his cheek against Harry's hair.  
"He is at that age James," Mum said, "He's going to start noticing things. It'll be better to tell him now rather than have to answer outside."

His Dad sighed once more, lifting Harry so he could see his face.  
"I know in school they taught you about the Accords, the rules that govern us after the Reveal?"  
Harry nodded slowly. He had been taught a few weeks ago about the Reveal, when the magical community had been revealed to the non-magical communities and the Accords were created by Dumbledore and Grindelwald to help keep them all safe.  
"The Accords were created to keep everyone safe. Muggles can have magical children and wizarding families can have Muggle children so one ruling over the other completely wasn't possible for the long run. But wizards were stronger than the muggles and so they took charge. Harry nodded. This was matching up with what his teacher had said.  
"All children are tested at eight for their magical potential and we wear armbands outside so we can be identified. Forms are needed to keep track of people and which areas they go into."  
His Dad was speaking quickly, rattling through the facts, almost spitting the words out. Mum tapped the side of her tea cup with her wand, sending him a warning glance.  
"Slow down James. Harry."

Harry turned his gaze to her, noticing for the first time how tired she appeared, purple circles under her eyes.  
"Times are starting to change. Before I wouldn't have been allowed to marry your father because my parents are Muggles. But even know I can't get a higher position at work because I am Muggle-born. Your Uncle Padfoot has his heart in the right place as he wants things to change faster, but he must be careful."  
"Because of Uncle Moony's furry little problem?"  
His Dad barked out a laugh, Mum shooting him a luck even as the corners of her lips twitched reflexively.  
"Yes sweetheart. Uncle Remus is a half-blood, so he is above me in purity, but he is a werewolf, so I am ultimately above him. Sirius married him, not just because they love each other, but to keep him safe."  
Harry's head was spinning, sleep already beginning to claw at his eyes and he covered a yawn that threatened to nearly knock him backwards.  
"Come on sport, back to bed," Dad said, raising him up to cradle Harry against his chest with a small grunt of effort.  
"Harry, sweetheart, look at me."  
Harry blinked away the pull of sleep and looked into his Mum's eyes, bright green and so like his own.  
"You can't mention what your Uncle Padfoot thinks outside this house. It's unspeakably dangerous so we must keep it secret to keep him safe. I wouldn't want to ask this of you, but you're a grown up boy now so I know you'll do a great job of it."  
She smoothed back his hair and kissed his forehead, giving Dad a quick kiss before he carried Harry upstairs and returned him to bed, tucking the thin duvet securely around him. Harry tried to say something but was unable to as another yawn over took him and he soon drifted off to sleep.

/\\\/\\\

Uncle Padfoot smelled ever so faintly of wet dog as he hugged Harry, the young boy's legs dangling as he swung in the air. Uncle Moony chuckled, quickly hugging Harry's Mum and passing her a few brightly wrapped packages that Harry saw from the corner of his eye.  
"How's my favourite godson?" Uncle Padfoot asked, shifting Harry to balance him on his hip.  
"I was drawing but Rosemary levitated all my crayons and I hit my head on one," Harry told him before the band of bright blue fabric around his Uncle's arm caught his eye. Remembering the conversation with his parents, Harry tilted his head to inspect the symbols more closely. There was a black circle inside a triangle with a line running through it all on blue fabric that Harry knew would be soft to the touch like his. The band he wore was grey, like Rosemary's, but with the same black symbol. His Dad's was the same as Uncle Padfoot's but Uncle Moony's was a pale lilac with a paw print and a blue border alongside the symbol while Mum's was a bright white with a blue border.  
"Why does Uncle Moony's and Mum's bands have a border on it?"  
"Ah, Prongs said you were starting to ask questions," Uncle Padfoot replied, grinning down at Harry, but his smile wasn't quite right, a little too big, "That means they are married to full blooded witch or wizard."

A loud yell from the kitchen broke the relative silence of the house, followed by a slew of curse words and Uncle Padfoot doubling over in laughter.  
"Biting teacups, classic."  
"Sirius Black!" roared Mum from the sitting room, "We got an examiner coming today and you bring Biting Teacups?"  
Uncle Padfoot let out a small cough, wiping away his tears of laughter and placing Harry down carefully.  
"I'm going to hide from your Mum for a little bit," he chuckled, ruffling Harry's hair, "Why don't you go and get ready for the examiner? I'm sure Peakes is sick of having to hang around the bottom of your garden."  
"Why is he there?" Harry asked, after moving a few steps away down the hallway.  
"Just to make sure everyone is present for the examination," Uncle Padfoot answered after a long pause, his gaze dropping to the front door for a brief moment, "Now off you go."  
Harry walked into the dining room, his meal from earlier tidied away and instead the table only held a single heavy metal teacup. He scrambled up onto the chair and waited, chewing on a fingernail as he listened to the sound of his Dad grumbling under his breath, Rosemary's squeals and giggles from the sitting room as she rummaged through the toy box. A ball of nerves was twisting in his stomach and seemed to be growing worse with every tick of the grandfather clock in the corner of the room.

_Bang, bang, bang!_

The knocking at the door made Harry jump and seemed to rock the house to it's very foundations.  
"James, get the door."  
There was no argument, no soft words of joking disagreement, only sound of his Dad's footsteps travelling to the door and the creak of it opening.  
"Malfoy."  
"Potter."  
It was a woman's voice, soft and measured. There were no further words as she moved past Dad and into the dining room in which Harry sat, nails almost bitten to the quick.  
"Hello Harry."  
Her long blonde hair was tied back in braids, her eyes such a dark blue they were almost black. She wore simple grey robes, much like those Harry had been told to wear that morning.  
"My name is Narcissa. I am your examiner today."  
Harry only nodded, fear stilling his tongue.  
"Don't be scared," Narcissa continued, giving him a small smile as she picked up the metal tea cup and placing it in front of Harry, "It's quite a simple test, and you don't have to answer any questions."

Another nod. She gestured for Harry to raise his hand, her skin cold on his as she curled his fingers into a loose fist, pointer finger protruding.  
"You may feel a small scratch Harry. I'm going to take some of your blood and mix it with this potion. This will reveal for certain if you have magic or not."  
The kitchen door creaked slightly as his Dad slipped into the room, leaning against the wall behind Narcissa.  
"If you don't have magic, you will be moved to a new school for education befitting your new status. If you do, everything will proceed as normal and Peakes can stop skulking in your flower bushes."  
Her mouth twitched into a small smile at the last part of her sentence, Harry's Dad biting back a snort of laughter.  
"Do you consent to this test Harry?"  
His Mum had warned him about this only this morning, keen to make sure no traces of his Dad's joking personality would raise its head at an inopportune moment.

"Yes."  
A small pain and bright red blood splashed into the cup, the liquid almost seeming to be suspended for a moment before it shifted and changed to a rich dark blue.  
"Congratulations Potter. You have yourself a wizard. Such a good job he doesn't take after his mother's side of the family."  
"Thank you Narcissa," his Dad responded, rumblings of anger in his house.  
"I'll show myself out."  
And with that, she swept out of the room, head held high. Harry didn't have much time to dwell before his Dad hugged him tightly, crushing the breath from his lungs.  
"All good Lily!"

Mum swept into the room and deposited a cake in front of him, eight candles twinkling as his Uncle's moved in behind them.  
"Make a wish, sweetheart."  
And surrounded by his family, Harry did.


End file.
